Contagious
by Fictionaldemon
Summary: Daryl goes to a diner on the day he comes back into town. What happens when he sees his childhood friend/crush? Will she greet him with open arms or threaten to shoot an arrow at him? You will get to see into the past of our favorite character before the apocalypse. Rated K for right now.
1. Introduction

**~Well hello everyone! I have been wanting to do a Daryl and OC fanfiction but I didn't know how I was going to approach it but I woke up this morning listening to music and this one song gave me inspiration. This is going to be set before the apocalypse. So this is going to be the introduction and the other chapters are going to be set in different time periods. I will specify the age differences and all that so it doesn't get confusing. Also it may be a little different to Daryl's actual background history that was revealed in the show. So please enjoy the read and please review what you think and any ideas you have. I would appreciate it all. I do not own the walking dead or any of the characters except my OC.~**

(So in the show I want to go with that Daryl is like 35 years old but in this introduction Daryl is 27 years old. My OC is Archer Magnolia Stevens. I like the ring to it. She will be 25 years old. She is about 3 inches shorter than Daryl. She has green eyes and has long wavy black hair.)

Daryl POV (I will try my best to get his speech correct. If I make any mistakes please let me know)

It's been a while since I was back in my hometown. I left a few years ago. It was hard but I needed space. I decided to go to my favorite diner to get some dinner for the first night back. I parked my bike out in front of the place and walked in. A nice girl sat me in a booth and told me that my waiter will be with me momentarily. I nodded quietly and stared at the menu.

I just continued to stare at the menu as I tuned out the noise around me. I was doin pretty well til a certain name reached out to me.

"Where the hell is Archer! She was supposed to be here 15 minutes ago!" The cook shouted from the kitchen.

Archer?

"She called saying that her car got a flat. She said she would be here as soon as she could." One of the waitresses replied before coming over to me. "You ready to order, sugar?"

"Yeah. Just give me the number 13 and a cup of joe." I replied.

"Sure thang hun."

"Who's Archer?" I asked bluntly.

She raised a brow at this. "One of our waitresses. She is…" A door slammed open and a female ran across us and through the back door. "She is the one that just ran by. She's the waitress that usually takes care of the customers that sits by the counter." I didn't respond. I just stared in the direction she ran. "I'll put your order in." She said and walked off.

The girl that ran by came out in her uniform and her hair in a ponytail. She started talking to a customer and all I could do was stare at her. When I got a good look at her face I gasped.

_(10 year old Daryl and 8 year old Archer)_

_I watched from my porch as a small dinky move in truck parked at the house across the street. I watched as a man and a woman stepped out of their pickup truck that was parked in the driveway. They were examining the outside of the house for a few minutes before the woman went inside and the man went back to the car. I watched as his lips moved as if he was talking to someone. Within a few minutes he pulled a figure out of the car and set them on the ground. The figure was a little girl. She looked to be around my age. She stood there while clutching a bear and looked at her surroundings. Her eyes turned in my direction. I looked back and raised my hand to wave. She shyed away and ran into the house. I scoffed and went back to what I was doing. _

_It was around 4 when I was in the house fiddling with the little toys I had when I heard a knock on the door. My father, Will stumbled his way over to the door as once again he was drunk. _

"_What?!" I heard him shout. I heard the voices but couldn't be clear what was being said. It was then I heard my father shouting again. "Boy! Get in here." I sighed and slowly made my way to the living room. I looked to see the man and little girl I saw earlier today. "Dis be our new neighbors."_

_I gave a small head nod. _

"_Well I'm Jack Stevens and this is my daughter Archer." The man introduced. "Say hello Archer."_

"_Hi." The girl greeted weakly. Our fathers went into the kitchen and left the two of us alone. _

"_So…Archer is it?" I asked. _

_She nodded. "Is your name boy?"_

_I shook my head. "It's Daryl."_

"_That's a nice name." She gave a small smile. _

_I shrugged. "Just a name."_

"_It makes you, you tho."_

"_Archer makes you, you?"_

_She nodded. "I have a bow and arrow. I'm good at it."_

_I smirked. "I have a crossbow."_

_She smiled brightly. "Really? Can I see it?"_

_Before I could answer the men came back laughing. "God Will, you are a delight." Jack complimented. _

"_Same to you fella. You should come over and drink with me sometime."_

"_Sure thing. It'll be an excuse to get away from the wife every now and then."_

"_Or everyday." They laughed some more. _

"_Come on, Archer. Let's get home."_

_I watched as she nodded then looked at me. "Maybe you can show me that crossbow another day?"_

_I nodded and she smiled again. They left without another word. That was probably the first time a met a girl that was actually decent. _

I continued to stare at Archer and she hasn't noticed yet that I was here. I was so lost in thought, I didn't even realize my food arrived.

"Are you alright, sir?" my waitress asked.

"Fine." I grumbled and looked down at my food.

It had been a long time since I last saw Archer. We had always been together then drifted apart then back together again. It wasn't a normal friendship but she was one of the only friends I had besides my brother Merle.

I wonder what her reaction will be like when she sees me. Will she be cheerful and happy as she has always been since I first met her, or will she be angry and threatened to shoot an arrow in my ass? I sighed heavily and started to eat my food slowly.

**~Well I know this was very short but what do you guys think so far? I think the next chapter I write will take place in their childhood a little more than come back to this. I just want to give credit to the song So Contagious by Acceptance so the inspiration and will be the title of this story.~**


	2. Chapter 1

**~I just want to thank ShadowSlayer2013 for being the first to review this story. It made my day :D~**

_Back in time to a 10 year old Daryl and an 8 year old Archer_

_Daryl POV_

_It had been a few days since I last seen Archer. I guess she was busy with moving in. I was playing in my yard with my crossbow and aiming at cans on the fence when the bubbly 8 year old came over. _

"_Is that your crossbow?" She asked. _

_I nodded and remained silent as I concentrated at my aim. I hit the can perfectly. _

"_Nice shot." Shew complimented. I didn't respond. She pulled her bow off from around her shoulders and dropped her arrows and a bag on the ground. _

"_That your bow and arrow?" I asked. She nodded as she grabbed an arrow and started to aim at the last can. She shot it and hit it with one shot. I stared at it surprised. "Never met a girl who can shoot."_

"_Never met a boy who can shoot." She responded. _

_I snorted. "probably weren't real boys."_

_She grinned. "probably." She walked over to the fence to reset the cans on the fence and picked up all the arrows. She handed all the ones that were mine. _

"_Thanks." I whispered. _

"_Anytime."_

_She took her stance and started shooting cans again not missing any. I didn't realize I was staring at her until she looked at me and made a comment. "Well don't just stand there, start shooting. They ain't gonna knock themselves over."_

_I smirked and did as I was told. I think that was the first time, in a long time, that I let a girl tell me what to do._

Once I finished eating and paid my bill I got up from the booth. I was heading to the door but I looked back at Archer who had her back facing me. Do I approach her? I sighed and left the diner without looking back. I sat on my bike and pondered again.

_We were shooting for two hours until her momma called her home for lunch. She started to walk away until she looked over at me. "You coming?"_

"_What for?" I replied._

"_lunch. Didn't you hear my momma?"_

"_She called you tho."_

"_She said I could invite you. Do you like sandwiches?" I shrugged uncomfortably. She walked over and grabbed my hand before she dragged me across the street to her house. We went inside the house and she let go of my hand when she shut the door and went into the kitchen. I stood uncomfortably in their living room. No one has ever invited me to their house before. Her house was cleaner than his own, even if they were still in the process of moving in. _

_I heard footsteps coming into the room. I looked over to see Archer and I'm guessing her mother coming in. _

"_You must be Daryl. It's so nice to meet you. I'm lean. Archer's mother." She greeted warmly. _

"_Hi." I said quickly. _

_She smiled sweetly. "Why don't you two go and wash up and I'll have your lunches ready. I hope turkey sandwiches are ok with you, Daryl."_

_I nodded and she grinned and left to go back to the kitchen. Archer led me to the bathroom and we both washed our hands and went back to the kitchen. She sat down in a chair at the table and I sat across from her. I stared at the plate in front of me. It was a simple sandwich cut in half, some chips on the side, and a glass of water. _

_I watched as Archer devoured her sandwich like an animal. I smirked as I slowly ate my sandwich. It's been a little while since I last ate something decent. _

"_Archer, eat more like a lady!" Her mother scolded. _

_Archer mumbled her apologizes and put the sandwich down. She wiped her face and ate more lady like. When we finished eating our lunches we put our dishes in the sink and walked back to my place and continued shooting the cans with our arrows. _

I drove around the neighborhood 10 times lost in thought before I came back to the diner about 10 minutes before closing. I slowly came in and sat down at the counter.

"I'll be with you in a minute." I heard Archer shout from the back. She came out fixing her apron still haven't noticed it was me. "Since we are closing, I can only offer you coffee or some kind of dessert but that's it." She looked up and stared at me. "Daryl?"

She stood in front of me and I could tell she was uncomfortable. "Hey Archer." I greeted quietly.

"When did you get back into town?" She asked.

"Today."

"I see."

"How ya been?"

"I could be better. You?"

"I'm a'ight."

"Great."

I nodded. We stood there in silence. I'm used to these awkward moments. I have been since I have known her.

_It had been about two months since Archer and her family moved in. Almost every day we would play together unless she couldn't or I was embarrassed to show myself to her. One day though I really didn't want to show myself. My father wasn't the kindest man. He would beat me when he was drunk or when he was angry. I couldn't really defend myself since I was alone. I was scared but I didn't let anyone know this, especially not Archer. The last beating though was because of Archer. My dad was mad saying that I was becoming soft for the girl and that I had to man up. I had a black eye when Archer came over. I tried to hide it but it was too late when she saw it. _

"_What happened?!" She asked scared. _

"_Nothin. I…hit the door." I replied as I avoided her gaze. _

_She frowned and sat down next to me. "Does it hurt?" She whispered. I didn't respond. "I can make it better."_

_I looked over at her in confusion. She leaned in quickly and kissed my eye. "What the hell?!" I shouted. _

"_What?" She asked scared at my outburst. _

"_the hell you did dat for?"_

"_Kisses make boo-boos better." She said shyly. _

"_Stupid girl! That's bull. You just made things worse for me! Go home!"_

_She stared at me teary eyed and went home. We didn't talk for over a week after that. It was just really awkward. _

"I should really close the place. Did you want anything before you leave?" She asked as she broke me from my thoughts.

I shook my head. "I'm good."

"Ok." She answered shyly. "Good night."

"Good night." I said but I could get myself to stand up. She stared at me uncomfortably. "Sorry." I muttered.

She just shrugged. "You always are when you leave."

"Didn't mean to stop talking to you."

"It's whatever." She responded.

"Archer…"

"What?" She said a little harshly.

"I don't know."

"What you expect me to cry over you?"

"No but…."

"You left without a word. 4 years I didn't hear from you, Daryl."

"I know." I sighed.

"I can't get over it this time. Whatever issues you were going through four years ago I hope you dealt with it."

"I did."

"Great. Well once again good night." She spat and went to the back.

I sighed deeply and got up from my seat and went to my bike outside. Well that was not the reunion I was looking for.

_I felt bad for snapping at her. She was just so innocent. And my momma always told me to treat a lady nicely. I went over to her house after not speaking to her for a week and a half. She was in the grass playing with her stuffed animals. She didn't notice me until I sat down across from her. _

"_I'm sorry." I muttered. _

"_it's ok." She shrugged and kept playing with her toys. _

"_You mad?"_

"_No. You?"_

"_Not anymore."_

"_Ok."_

"_Why you so forgivin?"_

"_We're friend's."_

"_You would wanna be friend wit me? Why?" Daryl asked in disbelief. No one has ever wanted to be his friend._

"_Why not?" She stared at me. _

"_No one ever wants to be my friend. I'm nothing special."_

"_I think you're pretty special. You have a crossbow. That's pretty cool." She smiled. I smirked and watched her play. She looked up at me. "You wanna shoot some lizards with my slingshot?"_

_I nodded and she grinned widely as she ran inside to get it. _

_I smiled as I watch her run inside. Her happy nature was contagious. I felt warm inside to have a friend. My only other friend was Merle but he was in juvie as of right now and my other friend used to be my momma but she dies a few years ago. It was nice not having to feel alone for right now but how long will it take before Archer was gone too? _

I walked into my old home that I haven't been in for the last 4 years. I walked by a drunk Merle who was out cold on the couch. I shook my head and went to my old room. I jumped into bed and stared at the ceiling. I looked to my left and saw the photo that stood in its old wooden frame. I grabbed it and started at hit deeply. It was a picture of Archer and me 6 years ago on my motorcycle. She was clinging onto my back when we took it and her smile was amazing. I smiled staring at it. Her laugh and smile was infectious. No matter what mood I could be in, one look could calm me down instantly even if I didn't want to be.

Had I really lost her forever now?

**~Alright so I am think about the next set of chapters just being all flashbacks to this point in time. You'll get to see their relationship as they grew up so expect time jumps and things like that. What I want to know is, if that is ok to those who read this or would you like to me to go back and forth between the past and present as I did in the first two chapters? What are your thoughts on this chapter? I apologize if its short. I appreciate all reviews good or bad **


	3. Chapter 2

**~Thank you for all the reviews everyone :D and I apologize if Daryl seems soft. Umm…because Daryl in the flashbacks is younger, he will be a little more innocent and a softy but I will try to make him more tougher.~**

Archer POV

I woke bright and early for the day but I didn't want to get up. I continued to lay on my side and stare out in my room. Daryl came back to town last night and so many things were running through my mind.

Why did he come back?

Why did he leave in the first place?

Did I do something wrong?

When did things become complicated between us?

I remember when things used to be so simple between us.

_14 year old Daryl and 12 year old Archer_

_We were in middle school at the time. While Daryl was two years older than me, he got held back a grade so while I was in 6__th__ grade, he was in 7__th__ grade. I was sitting on my porch doing my homework when he came over. _

"_Whatcha doing?" He asked as he hovered over me. _

"_I'm doing my math homework. You?" I asked him. _

"_Nothing. I came over to see if you wanted to go in the woods and shoot at squirrels or something."_

"_I really need to get this done, besides don't you have homework to do?"_

"_I don't want to."_

"_Why not?"_

"_I'm an idiot. School ain't for me. I might just drop out."_

"_You're not an idiot, Daryl."_

"_How the fuck would you know?"_

"_You're not an idiot. You're just lazy."_

"_Fuck you."_

"_Daryl…"_

"_I don't know why I even came over." _

_I scoffed. "You come over every day asking to do something."_

"_Whatever." He grumbled. I shrugged and went back to doing my homework. "Why are you outside anyway? Don't you have a desk in your room?" I didn't say a word. "Hello I'm talking to you girl." _

"_I needed the fresh air."_

"_That is bullshit." _

"_Do you always have to curse?"_

"_You're not answering my damn question."_

_I sighed annoyed and slammed my book shut. I stood up and grabbed his wrist and dragged him to my mail box. "My parents have been fighting lately."_

"_Like hitting each other?"_

"_No just screaming and the occasional throwing of plates. It's just hard to concentrate on homework."_

"_Why are you so focused on that crap anyway? Not like you're gonna use it again."_

"_It's a good distraction. Plus I know how to do the work."_

_We stood their uncomfortably and then he walked away without another word. I sighed and went back to my porch to finish what I was doing. Within 5 minutes he came back with his math book and opened it. I raised a brow at him. "Will you help me figure this out?"_

"_Daryl that work is two grades higher than me."_

"_You like the challenge. Plus you like to read and all that crap. I don't know."_

_I smirked. "Let's see what we could do." I took the book and read the first three pages then went to the problem and explained it the best I could. When we went to check the answer in the back of the book, I was right. _

"_I knew you could do it." He smirked and took the book back to do some work or pretend to. It was a nice gesture that he was trying to create a distraction for me. It was such a simple task to do and it meant the world to me that day._

I finally sat up in bed and sighed. I really didn't want to go out. I called in sick from work and then stay sitting in my bed. I eventually got up to shower and change into sweats and a tank top. I went over to my desk and grabbed my scrapbook that I made and sat back in bed. It was literally all the memories that Daryl and I had. If there wasn't a picture, there was a meaningful diary entry inside.

I flipped through some pages. I stared at the one of my first hunting trip. I was about 10 and he was 12. My dad was working at the auto shop with Daryl's dad, Will. Will and my father were good friends in a weird way. Will had invited him to join Daryl and Merle who was out of juvie at the time.

"_I don't like the idea of you going hunting. I also very much don't like the idea of you taking Archer with you. She's just a little girl." My mother whined. _

"_I want to go mom." I begged her. I jumped in the car with my bow and arrows and my backpack. I watched as they argued a while then he jumped in the car and drove off. We drove for a good two hours before he got to the location. I recognized Will's truck on the dirt gravel. We got out of the car and grabbed all our stuff and walked the trail up to find where the guys were at the campsite. _

"_Will!" My father greeted. _

"_Jack, about time you made it. Your girls kept you held up?" Will questioned and you could tell from his voice he was a little drunk. _

"_Girl. My wife was giving a hard time but I finally came and I brought Archer a long."_

"_Oh hell no! This is a man's trip!" Merle complained. _

"_I agree. Jack why did you bring her? She's gonna get herself killed."_

"_No I won't." I defended myself. _

"_Yeah because you're a stupid fucking girl!" Merle yelled. _

_I glared at him as I put my bag down and I huffed. Who does he think he is?_

"_Guys Archer is more than capable. She was very excited and wanted to tag along for the experience."_

_Will just shrugged and drank more of his beer. My father went to join him. I grabbed my tent and started to set it up. _

"_Need help girlie? Don't want you breaking a nail." Merle teased but his tone was still annoyed. _

"_It's not my first time camping. I can handle it." I told him firmly. I struggled a little but got it done. I grabbed my father's tent and tried to set it up but seeing as it was bigger than mine, it was hard to handle so I gave up and dropped it on the ground. _

_I looked over at Merle and Daryl. Merle was snickering at my failure and Daryl was avoiding my eyes. I sighed and walked over to them. _

"_Problem?" Merle asked. _

"_I need help." I mumbled._

"_What was that?" _

"_I need help." I huffed. _

"_I don't know. I am pretty busy and you did say you could handle it."_

_I groaned in frustration. "Merle don't be an ass." Daryl warned him. _

"_What was that baby bro? You have a soft spot for the girl?" _

"_No…but…"_

"_Are you arguing with me?"_

"_For fuck's sake Merle. She's just a stupid girl. She can't even put up a tent that's twice her size. It's pathetic."_

"_I agree. Come on let's go help her."_

_The both got up and went to put up my father's tent. I was a little hurt for being called stupid and pathetic but I suppressed the feelings and went to unpack the rest of my bag. When they finished the tent I went and threw his sleeping bag inside it then went into my own tent. We didn't really do much that day except unpack and eat dinner. I got called shit for being a girl and that I shouldn't be here to hunt but I'll show them tomorrow. I snuggled warmly in my sleeping bag and knocked out._

_In the morning we woke up bright and early. I quickly changed my clothes and put my bow over my shoulders. We ate our breakfast and went over the game plan. If you didn't catch at least one thing by the end of the day, you don't get to eat. _

_My father and Will stuck together and I stuck with the Dixon brothers as we went in the opposite direction. Merle wasn't happy about this but I ignored him. I saw a squirrel and grabbed an arrow to shoot at it but I missed. _

_Merle laughed at me. "Leave it to the girl to hunt something pathetic as a squirrel and miss."_

"_Are you going to make fun of me this entire trip?" I asked him. _

"_Well you are a girl. You shouldn't be here. Why don't you leave the hunting for the men? I'll shoot you a squirrel so the adults could believe you hunted and can eat dinner tonight." He patted my back roughly then kept walking. _

_I glared at him. _

"_Ignore him. He's just being Merle." Daryl told me. _

"_He's an idiot."_

"_I know he is but he does have a point. You shouldn't be here."_

"_I wanted to hunt." _

"_Can you even hunt? I know your good with the bow and arrow but you missed a squirrel. How?"_

"_It moved…"_

_He laughed at me. "Did you fucking think it was going to stay still for you?"_

"_No but…"_

"_You're pathetic." He followed after Merle. _

_I sadly followed behind them. We walked and I listened to them talk about strategies. I glanced to my left and saw a boar walk by. I looked at the Dixon brothers who had not noticed it. I quietly walked in the direction of the boar. _

_I walked a good 15 minutes following what I thought were its foot prints. I couldn't find it again. I sighed. I turned around and decided to head back. I took a few steps and heard a charging sound but before I could make of it, I was forced in the air and I landed on my back hard. I groaned in pained and rolled to my side to see my attacker. It was the boar. I gulped as I saw it kick its front leg in the dirt getting ready to charge again. I tried to get my bow and arrow ready to shoot but it charged again and hit my hand hard with its tusk. I cried out in pain as I saw that it was bleeding. _

"_Son of a…" I couldn't finish it. My momma raised me better than that. _

_I looked at it in horror as it was going to charge again. I quickly grabbed my bow and arrow again and had it set before it charged. Before it was a foot away from me I shot it straight between the forehead. I breathed heavily as I laid on my back trying make out what just happened. My hand was stinging in pain but I ignored it. _

_I finally got up and grabbed the boar's feet and dragged him with me as I tried to make my way to camp. This thing was really heavy. I dropped it and tried to catch my breathe. _

"_Archer!" I heard what I thought was Daryl's voice. _

"_I'm…over…here!" I shouted back. _

_After 5 minutes both Merle and Daryl appeared and then gasped in shock at the sight they saw. I stood covered in dirt and a bloody hand with a dead boar next to me with the arrow still in its head. _

"_Holy shit girlie you did that?" Merle asked. _

"_Yes I did." I said proudly._

"_Well I'll be a monkey's uncle. We both each caught a dear and a few squirrels but shit you got a wild boar."_

_I smiled happily then kind a got a little woozy. "You ok?" Daryl asked. _

"_Yeah I'm fine." I nodded and felt my head with my clean hand. It was wet and sticky. I looked at it and almost cried at the sight of blood on my head. My hand was one thing but my head. "Omg I'm going to die."_

"_Don't be stupid. You're not going to die." Daryl told me as he looked at my head. "It's just a scratch. What the hell did you do? Wrestle the damn thing?"_

"_Umm it charged at me twice and hit me. It hurt."_

_Daryl pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed frustrated. "That's why girls don't go hunting."_

"_Well Daryl this girl earned her dinner. She ain't like any girl I've seen. Come on let head on back to camp and get her cleaned up and take her treasure." Merle picked up the Boar and carried it while Daryl and I followed behind. _

That day hurt a lot but I was allowed to go camping and hunting with them more often. Merle and Daryl taught me how to shoot a better with moving targets and how to track. It was one of the many things I learned from Merle and Daryl.

Merle. I haven't talked to him in a long time. Daryl was close to him and respected whatever he had to say but in all honesty I couldn't help but wonder if maybe Merle was the reason why Daryl left for 4 god damn years.

Merle made of had good influences but shit he knew how to drive people away. We have had our battles because I wasn't going to take any of his shit like I did when I was younger which he respected but I still couldn't help but wonder. I hope that I would find out soon.

**~So how was this chapter? God a few more flashbacks. Tried to make Daryl kind of tough but it is younger Daryl that was in this chapter. Oh and so I didn't make it clear but in this Daryl is 12 in the hunting scene like I said but I made Merle about 19 years old. Derp ok. So please review and anything you would like to see or maybe some questions you would want to know about younger Daryl :D It would help inspire more flashbacks and yes if I do use it I will give credit to whoever the idea came from ^-^ but don't worry I have a few flashbacks in my head that I want to type but I have to bring up the right moments I guess.~**


	4. Chapter 3

**~I do not own the walking dead. Just my OC Archer. Oh and I am terrible with the whole red neck slang if anyone noticed so it will be written out normal maybe a few random words but hopefully that won't bother anyone."**

**Daryl POV **

I woke up feeling bitter. I went out to the living room shirtless with my pajamas pants and saw Merle sitting on the couch drinking his remedy for hangovers. I sat down in the chair and stared at him. Merle wiped his face before his spoke.

"Well well little brother. You finally return home." He commented.

"I did a lot of thinking so." I replied.

"It took you four years to think? Didn't think you were that slow baby bro."

"Shut up Merle. It's your fault I left in the first place."

"The hell it is. You were just a damn pussy and ran off."

"Fuck you Merle!"

I jumped out of my seat and went into the kitchen. It was all Merle's fault. He gave me the crazy idea to leave in the first place.

_4 years ago…_

_Archer and I went to the bar that night to celebrate her turning 21. She had drank before but she said now she can do it legally and that made it more special. We were really wasted and made the walk to her apartment. _

"_Holy shit this is going to suck so much in the morning." She laughed. _

"_No shit so might as well get some shut eye before we go to work tomorrow." I told her. _

"_No birthday sex?"_

_I was surprised by her boldness. We only ever had sex maybe three times since we have known each other but I was always surprised when we ended up doing it. "I'm not going to take advantage of you. You're drunk."_

"_I want to though Daryl." She begged. She stood on her toes as she started to kiss me. _

_I hesitated but I kissed her back. I couldn't ignore how hard I was getting. "You know I won't go gentle right? I don't care if it's your birthday." She nodded in understanding as she kissed me harder. _

_God damn it. I scooped her up roughly by her ass and she moaned as she wrapped her legs around my waist and roughly grabbed my hair while she kept kissing me. I carried us to her room and dropped her on the bed. I crawled on her and ripped her shirt off. I leaned down and started to kiss and bit her neck. _

_While I did that I felt her unbutton my pants and begged me to take it off. I jumped off her and stripped down til I was naked and she did the same. I got back on top and started banging her hard. It was pretty crazy because this time she fought for Dominance and made us flip over. I wasn't going to let her outshine me we wrestled as we did it and in the end I won. I had her moaning and crying all at once. _

_When I woke up the next morning I did in fact have a hangover. I was completely able to see at first but I did felt a weight on my side. When I was able to blink my eyes clear I looked to see Archer curled up against my side. I shook her a little and she groaned._

"_Fuck Daryl." She complained. _

"_You feel as shitty as you look?" I asked. _

_She glared up at me. "Sorry not all of us can look as hot as you with bed head."_

"_I ain't hot."_

"_Fine your gorgeous. Happy Princess?"_

"_You're a bitch."_

"_And you're an ass."_

"_Whatever I don't have time for this." I pushed her off me and got up. I quickly threw on my boxers and tried put on my pants. I glanced over at her as I saw she was combing her hair out with her fingers._

_I finally got my shirt on and started to head to the front door. _

"_Wait!" I heard her shout. I groaned but I turned to face her. She had wrapped herself in her sheets as she approached me. _

"_I'm sorry for snapping at you." She apologized. _

"_Whever." I grumbled. _

"_I love you Daryl." I rolled my eyes. "I mean it. I know I have said it before multiple times as friends but I mean it as more than a friend. I love you Daryl Dixon."_

_I didn't say anything. I just walked out of the apartment and made my way home. _

_She loves me? More than a friend? This bitch was crazy._

_When I got home, I changed into my work clothes and then jumped into my truck to drive to the auto shop. I worked more than I usually do because that apparently is what I do when I over think things as said by Merle._

"_What the hell is getting your panties in a bunch?" Merle asked. _

"_What you rambling about?" I asked. _

'_You're working yourself like a dog today so spill your feelings out."_

"_It's about Archer."_

"_My favorite Gal. How was her birthday?"_

"_We got drunk and fucked. What else?"_

"_Did you knock her up?"_

"_No you idiot."_

"_Than what the fuck is your problem?"_

"_She said I love you."_

"_She told me I love you too a few days ago."_

"_No man like she meant it as more than friends."_

"_Oh shit. Walk away from that."_

"_What you talking about?"_

"_Now she is gonna want you to commit to her. She gonna want ya to spoil her and marry her and have rugrats around the house."_

"_nah man you don't know what ya saying."_

"_I don't? When have I ever steered you wrong brother? I've been in more relationships than ya have."_

"_I ain't nothing special."_

"_Special enough for an I love you."_

"_Man shut up!" I threw my wrench on the ground and walked away. Halfway I turned back to him. "And so what if she wants all that? What's the big deal?"_

"_You gonna be able to support her ass? I don't think so. Besides ya know the saying. Wanna know what a girl will be like in the future, look at her mother."_

_I glared at him and took off for my break. I grabbed my lunch and sat down on the picnic table. I decided to take a smoke first. _

_Archer was nothing like her mother. Lean was a whore. She cheated on her husband and hooked up with some rich ass dude. She wasn't satisfied with her life so she tried to find something better. That wouldn't happen with Archer, would it?_

_As I pondered the thought I became scared. I'll admit I so have some feelings for Archer, shit she was perfect. _

_At first glance she was pretty and smart and you think she was like any prissy girl you meet but once you get to know her, she wasn't a normal girl. She hunted and could fix cars and other things around the house. She wouldn't take any ones shit especially Merles. She just wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty. _

_I could support Archer if we did all that crap she probably wanted. Shit she knows what it's like to be on a budget and appreciating what you got, she lived with her father majority of the time. _

_But…she is still young. 21 is the beginning of life and a girl like her who is intelligent would want to get a better education. She would want to do that college crap but I can't afford to send her…she probably would leave me for some rich asshole who can send her to Harvard or some shit like that. _

_I sighed in frustration. What was I going to do?_

You know what I did? I pussied out and jumped on my bike and left town without another word. I tried to find a decent job somewhere to make a better income than I was making at home. I think I wanted to prove myself that I could be good for her but I just ended up continuously going back to square one and realized that if she won't love me just how I am then she can go fuck herself.

Yeah that sounds like a good plan. I'll catch her when she is alone and not working and tell her that.

Great plan Daryl…you just sunk to Merle's level.

**~Sorry for short chapters but they're not too bad right? Please review and what do you think Daryl should say to Archer when he confronts her and tells her why he left? How should Archer react?~**


	5. Chapter 4

**~Thank you ShadowSlayer2013 for your input :D and thank you to the others who have reviewed as well. I do not own the walking dead, just Archer and Daryl.~**

Daryl POV

How was I going to do this? I have no problem telling people off but when it came to Archer…the girl can make me weak. I sat at home drinking a little to calm my nerves. Tonight I was going to show up and tell her the truth as to why I left whether I liked it or not.

It was probably 7 at night and I was sobering up but I sat on my bike as I drank a little more from a flask. I watched as she was cleaning up tables in the diner. I wonder how long she was doing that for? Working at a diner?

Four years ago she was doing part time at the car shop with her father and the other half doing volunteer work at a school to get practice for teaching. Soon enough she came out with no uniform on. She had on her skinny jeans, boots and a tank top under her leather jacket. She was walking in the opposite direction.

I took a deep breathe. "Archer!" I shouted. "Don't walk away from me girl!"

She turned and looked at me but she just kept a straight face as she came to me. "What do you want Dixon?"

"A guy can't come over and talk to a friend?"

"Oh we're still friends? Couldn't tell if that was still a thing from the four years of silence."

"Don't have to be a bitch about it."

"Actually I can and this bitch is walking away." She turned and started to walk but I quickly jumped up and grabbed her arm roughly to make her face me.

"Don't walk away from me while I'm talking to you!"

"You aren't really saying anything."

"I'm trying to but you keep running your smart ass mouth." I was getting aggravated. Leave it to Archer to make things difficult.

"You know I have been working quite a long shift so excuse me if I want to go home."

"Excuse me if I want to explain myself."

"Fine." She shoved my arm away then crossed hers. "Tell me Daryl, why did you leave and then suddenly return?"

"You said I love you."

"I remember I did and you left. If that's why you left than that's a pathetic reason and I'll learn next time not to express my feelings." She laughed sarcastically.

"Fuck you Archer, if you can't accept me for who I am then go fuck yourself." I yelled. I can already tell I was wasn't thinking straight and I could feel myself falling into the drunken state.

"How does that make any sense? I told you I love you which means I accept you for who you are. The idiot redneck with a temper just like his god damn brother."

"Quite talking shit. You know why I left? I wanted to try to make a better life for myself so that if we become something you wouldn't be disappointed but I failed. So I ain't going to waste my time with someone who will probably leave me to find something better just like your whore of a mom."

I watched as her face raged and she slapped me across the face. Shit it stung. I glared at her and if she wasn't a woman I would have punched her.

"There is more shit coming out of your mouth than your ass Dixon. I can already tell that you're drunk and you aren't thinking straight but let me make one thing clear, I didn't leave, you did. I kept coming back to you, Merle, and my father in this hell hole of a town. If I did want the fucking good life and all that nonsense I would have stayed with my whore of a mother, my asshat of a step father, my snotty friends from private school, and my douche of a boyfriend but I didn't. Maybe you should think about that before you point fingers." She walked away from me but turned one last time when she was a few feet away. "Go in the god damn diner and sober your ass up before you drive." With that she was gone.

I scoffed but made my way into the diner. I sat in a booth and ordered a coffee as my head was pounding. I was pissed but I thought about what she said.

_Daryl is 16 and Archer is 14. _

_It was around February and I had been noticing Archer has been distant lately. I didn't push it because I figured it was a girl problem so I didn't push. It wasn't like I could ask Merle about it, when he was about 21 he took off so that was about 2 years ago. _

_I was sitting on my porch cleaning my arrows when the girl finally made an appearance. She sat next to me and curled herself up so she was resting her chin on her knees. I studied her closely and saw that her eyes were puffy._

"_You been crying?" I asked as I went back to my arrows. _

"_No…" She replied weakly. _

_I scoffed. "You can't lie to me."_

"_Fine…"_

"_What's eating at you?"_

"_I'm…I'm moving…"_

_I eyed her weirdly. "Moving where?"_

"_With my mom and her new boyfriend about an hour away from here."_

"_Wait what? Aren't your parents married?"_

"_My mom has been cheating for about two years. My parents are getting divorced, that's why I haven't been around lately."_

"_Do you want to leave?"_

"_No…but my mom got custody of me. I have to live with her but I can come visit my dad here on the weekends."_

"_That really sucks."_

"_Yeah no kidding."_

"_Have you met the guy?"_

"_Nope."_

_I couldn't think of anything else to say to her so I just stayed quiet. I heard her shift from her seat and could feel the warmness of her body against me. I flinched and looked to see her resting her head on my shoulder. _

"_Can you promise me something?" I asked him. I nodded. "Promise that you'll still be my friend when I'm gone."_

"_I guess I can do that." I replied._

_I heard her mom calling her to come back home. She stood up and walked away sadly back home. _

_The following weekend she left with her mom in a moving truck. I kind of felt sad about it. I wasn't going to see my best friend anymore. I decided not to let it get to me. She was moving away and her dad would probably move away too and then I would never see her again, might as well get used to it. _

_It had been a month and I still haven't seen her. I would occasionally see her dad when he would come over and get drunk with my old man and rant about Lean." I stood around the corner just to ease drop. _

"_She's a cheating ass bitch." Jack slurred angrily. _

"_Isn't your girl supposed to come on weekends?" Will asked. _

"_Supposed to but she got put into this fancy private school and she said the work load has been keeping her. I think it's just the whore trying to keep my little girl away from me."_

"_Why don't you say something?"_

"_I've been trying but I can't afford a god damn lawyer."_

"_That bites man."_

_I sighed as I went back to my room. I couldn't hear anymore. _

_Another week went by and still no Archer. It was Friday and I didn't go to school. I just wasn't in the mood. I was in my room and just staring at the ceiling. I knew I fell asleep for a little bit but when I woke up and looked out the window I saw a car in front of Archer's house. I jumped out of my bed and quickly went to my window to get a better view. I cursed myself when I realized I was a little too eager and that wasn't good. _

_I saw a girl in a short skirt and a white button shirt with a tie and boots on. Who the hell was that? When I squinted and stared I realized that was Archer. My eyes went huge in shock. I have never seen her so…girly. _

_The car drove off and I saw Archer and Jack hug tightly. They walked together into the house. I waited a while before I left my own home to go see her. I walked up the steps and knocked on the door. Jack answered. _

"_Daryl." Jack greeted. _

"_Hi…umm…is she here?" I asked. _

_Jack smirked. "She's finally home. She's in her room." He stepped aside for me to walk in and I made my way toward her room. I leaned against her door frame while she had her back facing me. She was unpacking her bag and I couldn't help but glance down to her butt. I've never seen her in a skirt and damn she looked good. I pondered the vulgar things Merle would say if he saw her like this. He always thought he had a way with words. _

_I decided I needed to be known. I cleared my throat and watched as she turned to face me. She gasped and ran and tackled me in a hug. I stiffened do to the affection but I patted her back. "Hey Archer."_

"_Daryl! I missed you so much!"_

"_Didn't think you were going to come back."_

"_Of course I was going to come back. We need to go hunt or something!"_

"_I'm free now if you want. I do have to catch my dinner."_

"_Let me change."_

_I watched as she grabbed shorts and a black t-shirt and went to her bathroom. She came back 5 minutes later in her new clothes and her hair in a ponytail. She put on her combat boots and grabbed her bow and arrows. _

_We walked past her dad and waved good bye and headed through the fence in her back yard and through the forest. I watched as she got busy shooting at random targets. _

"_You look different." I pointed out. _

"_Stupid mom wanted me to get a makeover before I went to my new school." She groaned. _

"_Why?"_

"_I had to make a good impression. Don't know what kind of impression it would make seeing as my mother is a whore."_

"_Do you like it over there?" I asked as I shot a squirrel. _

"_No. It sucks." She answered as she aimed for a squirrel and missed. "Damn it!"_

"_You alright?"_

_She glared at me. "Does it look like I'm alright?"_

"_You don't have to yell at me!" I yelled. _

_She took a few deep breathes and sat on a rock. "I'm sorry." I didn't say anything I just kept looking for another thing to shoot. "I'm not ok. The whole month was torture. My mom changed a lot. She's trying so hard to look like an acceptable woman but she isn't. Her boyfriend is an asshole who buys her whatever she wants and he tries to bribe me for affection but it doesn't work. She's trying to change me and she put me in this school because she said it would look good for a college application. It's not me. I mean I would want to go to college but…I want to go as me."_

"_What are you going to do about it?"_

"_I don't know. All I know is I want to hunt and spend as much time I can with my dad before I go back. Who knows when I will be able to come back into town."_

"_Sounds good."_

_And that's what we did. We hunted for a few hours and then we went back home. Sunday she got picked up and didn't come back for two weeks. That's how it was until she turned 16. She would come back randomly and she would rant how awful it was living with her mother. When she was 16 she got her own car and drove herself down every weekend. She spent the time with her dad and I didn't see her as often. When I was 18 I left my good for nothing father and stayed with Merle at his place. I was constantly working so I didn't see Archer as often and that might have been the start of our friendship going downhill. _

I sobered up enough to be able to drive my bike home. I let myself in and jumped on the couch. So she came home big whoop. She did that more for her dad than anything and she hated being with her mom. I was just her ranting buddy. Dumb bitch trying to get under my skin. I curled up on my side and fell asleep.

_19 year old Daryl and 17 year old Archer_

_I decided to come visit her. It really had been awhile and I was in the mood to go hunt something. I knew she loved to hunt too so I would pay her a visit and invite her. I drove my truck over to her place and parked. I was confused by her sitting on the porch with her guest. I saw two girls and a guy with an arm around her shoulder. I was actually pissed by the action but I got out of the car anyway. There laughing and chattering stopped when I came up the steps. Archer smiled at me as she got up and hugged me but her guests gave me looks of disgust. _

"_Daryl what are you doing here?" She asked. _

"_I was gonna go hunt, wanted to know if you wanted to join." I replied as I glared at the guy. _

"_Does she look like she hunts?" the blonde bitch asked. _

"_I actually do Melissa." Archer told her. _

"_What?" Her friends asked in shock._

"_I hunt and track. I've been doing it since I was 10."_

"_That's uncool babe." The guy scolded her. "It's bad enough that your after school activity is martial arts but now you hunt? Doesn't look good."_

"_Why? Because she's a girl? She's the toughest bitch I ever met compared to you pussies." I smirked as I told them that. _

"_Who the fuck are you white trash?" _

_He stood up acting all tough and I was about to hit him when Archer stood in between us. "Alright enough guys. We just got off on the wrong foot ok? Let's start over. Guys this is my best friend Daryl." She gestured towards me. "Daryl that's Melissa." She pointed to the blonde bitch. "that's Alissa." She pointed to the other blonde. "and this is my boyfriend Jeremy." She pointed to the douche bag. _

"_Whatever." I told her and started to walk back to my truck. She called my name but Ignored it until she ran over and grabbed my arm. I looked down at her. _

"_Daryl talk to me." She pleaded. _

"_Who are these people? Since when do you have a boyfriend?" I asked. _

"_I just go to school with them. They came over because they want me to go to this party. Jeremy and I have only been going out a few weeks."_

"_You gonna go?" She shrugged. "Yes or no?"_

"_I rather go hunting with you."_

"_So tell them to fuck off."_

"_I can't just tell them that." _

"_For fuck's sake girl I'll do it for you." I walked over to them but she stopped me. "What?"_

"_Come with me!"_

"_What?!"_

"_Come with me to the party. There's a forest about 20 minutes away from it. We can go and have some fun, free beer and then we can camp out afterwards."_

"_I thought you didn't want to go."_

"_I want to go cuz I've never been to a party, I just don't feel safe going with them."_

"_But you feel safe with me?" I scoffed. _

"_I trust you. Shit I would trust Merle more than going with them alone."_

"_Fine."_

_She grinned. "Great. Go home. Change into something else and pack your camp gear and meet me here at 8."_

"_Whatever." I glared at her friends one last time before I got in my truck and left. _

_What was I getting myself into?_

**~Wow look at me with the long chapter. So this dream/flashback will continue next chapter. The next chapter will be a lot of flashback before he decides that he was wrong and tries to earn Archer's trust back. Please review what you think so far and anything you want to say **


	6. Chapter 5

**~You have no idea what I have planned. Mwuahaha but it will be good things just wait for it. I do not own the walking dead. I only own Archer~**

Daryl POV

_I wasn't too excited for this party but I already told Archer I would do it. Merle took the opportunity to call me a whipped pussy for getting on a nice shirt and doing things for a girl. I told him off before I left. When I got to Archer's house she was sitting on her porch. Once again I was taken aback by her appearance. Her hair was nicely combed and left her wavy hair loose. She was wearing a tight corset top with skinny jeans and boots._

"_Your daddy letting you out of the house like that?" I asked her when she got in my truck. _

"_What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" She asked as she looked down at herself. _

"_You look…different." _

"_Is that bad?"_

"_I guess not." I turned away from her as I backed out of the driveway and in the direction she told me to go to the party. _

_We drove for about an hour before she told me to park on the side of the road. We got out and started heading up the trail. From the looks of it, it was someone's summer home. I watched as Archer walked toward her group of friends that I met earlier and her boyfriend. _

_This was going to be a long night…_

_Throughout the time at the party, I watched from a distance as Archer would dance and mingle with people. A few girls came up to me to dance but I wouldn't budge. They would walk off disappointed and I would keep drinking my beer. _

_I watched as Archer made her way over. "You having a good time?"_

"_This is stupid." I replied. _

"_It's not so bad."_

"_Have you even drank the beer yet? You seem too sober." She blushed. "I thought that was the whole point of having me come."_

"_I'm nervous. I never drank before."_

_I smirked. "You too pussy to drink?"_

"_No…"_

_I handed her my cup. "Drink up then."_

"_Maybe one of us should be sober."_

"_If you don't drink this shit now, I'll leave your ass here."_

_She sighed. She took the cup and studied the drink before looking up at me. I nodded. She quickly chugged the drink and coughed before giving me the cup. "That shit is awful."_

"_Yeah it is. You want another one?"_

_She grinned. "Fuck yes!" She grabbed my hand and led me to the keg as we poured ourselves more drinks. We drank about 4 full cups before she started to drag me to the dance floor. "Oh come on Dixon! Shake that sexy ass!"_

"_Fuck no. You're out of your mind if you think im gonna dance!" I shouted over the music. _

_She was bouncing and giggling all over me. "Come on Darylina!" She slurred. _

"_Fuck you! No fuck Merle for giving me that name."_

"_It's a pretty name."_

_I rolled my eyes. She's a damn light weigh. Her boyfriend what's his face came over and he danced with her. _

"_Glad you're finally loosened up." He commented as he slid his hands down her ass. _

"_Woah what the fuck are you doing?" She asked as she pushed his hands off. _

"_Oh come on babe, I've been waiting weeks to loosen you up." He started to kiss her and I watched as she shoved him. _

"_Back off Jeremy." He tried to make a go again and she punched him. _

"_You bitch!" He slapped her across the face and she fell to her knees. _

_Enough was enough. I didn't step in because I knew Archer could defend herself but he crossed the line. "Hey asshole!" I shouted. When he turned I punched him in the face. He tried to hit me back but I dodged it and I tackled him to the ground and messed up his face. "You stay the hell away from her and if you ever put your hands on her again, you're a dead man." I punched him one last time before I got off. Archer got up on her own and I led her to my truck. _

_We got in quietly and I drove off to the nearby forest that she talked about earlier. It was already pretty late so when I found a spot to park the car we got ready for bed. It didn't look like it was going to rain so we opened up our sleeping bags and lay in the bed of the truck. We were just lying in silence but neither one of us spoke. _

_I looked at her and saw she was just staring at the sky. "You alright?" She shook her head. "That guy was an asshole." She didn't say anything. "He was damn lucky I didn't have my crossbow or I would have done the old Archer method."_

_She laughed a little. "He deserves an arrow to the ass."_

_I smirked. "If you ever see that asshole again don't hesitate too."_

"_I don't have my arrows with me. My mom made me leave it at my dads."_

"_Your mom sucks."_

"_Yeah I know she does. I just…I want things to go back to normal. I miss being at home and seeing you every day and hunting and harassing Merle when I can."_

"_If I'm your only reason to be in this shit town, then I guess it's good you're forced to live with your mom. You can make something out of yourself." _

"_What's wrong with that being my reason?"_

"_I'm shit Archer."_

"_No you're not. I've been telling you that since we were kids."_

"_Maybe you should stop telling me and get the fucking picture."_

_I don't know what came over her but she straddled my lap and glared at me. "I think you need a god damn arrow in the ass."_

_I sat up and glared at her and our faces were very close to each other. "Are you threatening me?"_

"_Maybe I am. I'm still drunk and confident."_

"_You're pathetic and a light weight."_

"_Oh yeah well…" _

"_And you suck with comebacks."_

_She glared at me and within seconds she pressed her lips against mine and I just sat in shock. She pulled away with a smirk. "Take that Dixon. I got you to shut it." She laughed and then slowly got serious. My heart was racing. I've kissed girls before but never did a kiss give me a reaction like that. I gently grabbed her face and just stared at her green eyes. The moonlight was hitting them just right. If Merle saw this, I definitely knew I would get an ear full but I didn't care._

_She leaned in and kissed me again and this time I responded back. She wrapped her arms around my neck and I let my hands grab her hips and pull her closer to me. We kept kissing and one thing led to another. _

Archer POV

It was bad enough that Daryl came back to my life after so long but last night when I saw him, he just wasn't right in the head. I had so many things going on in my head. He literally thought that I thought he was shit and wasn't good enough. What the hell?

First off I've been friends with him since I moved into the neighborhood.

I've helped him with school and convinced him to stay until he graduated.

I told him every day that he was amazing which he didn't believe but I did it anyway.

I had my first time with him.

I told him I loved him and I still do. I always will.

What sucks is that I have this huge secret that could change everything but I can't tell him until I know that he is man enough to handle it.

Daryl POV

_We woke up the next morning half-dressed and in our own sleeping bags. We looked at each other and just shrugged as we got dressed to hunt for some breakfast. _

"_You don't regret anything right?" I asked. _

"_No. I'm actually glad it happened. The highlights of my night were with you in them." She smiled as she walked away from the truck with her bow and arrow. _

_I shook my head at the compliment. That girl was something else._

I woke up around noon with a massive headache. Not only was I suffering from a hangover but I just kept thinking about Archer's words. She always somehow picked me. It finally hit me as I was showering the biggest thing she did.

_About a month after the party Archer came home that weekend with her car full of shit. I was at her dad's house before she arrived because she asked me too._

"_What is all this junk?" I asked as she got out of the car. _

"_I'm moving back home where I belong." She replied smiling. _

"_Wait what?"_

"_I told them I was leaving. I hated being there and I needed control of my life. I packed everything and I quite the private school." _

"_What about college and all that crap?"_

"_I'll get a job and save the money. Not like I have to go right after high school. I could also file for financial aid. I thought it all through."_

"_You sure about that?"_

_She wrapped her arms around my waist and hugged me. "I'm positive. Now help me unpack my shit." She nudged me and grabbed a box from her car before going inside her home. _

She left her mom and stopped talking to her so she could be back home with us. College was something she did want. She was a smart enough girl but since she wasn't going to ask for her step father's money she was going to earn it herself but I guess not anymore. She's 25 years old now. I'm sure going to college is out of her mind by now.

I felt like the biggest Jackass ever. I had to actually talk to her and sober me not drunk me. I went out to the kitchen and found Merle smoking while fiddling with his breakfast.

"There you are baby brother. Thought you drunk yourself dead." He smirked.

"You didn't even bother to check? Asshole." I replied while getting myself a cup of coffee.

"Shut up. How did it go with our girl Archer?"

"Bad. I was drunk and she told me to get lost."

He laughed. "Did she threatened the arrow in the ass?"

I smirked. "No but she said I had more shit coming out of my mouth than my ass."

"That girl has spunk. Wonder why I never fucked her?"

"Cuz I fucked her and you old as shit." I retorted a little pissed my brother thought about doing her.

"Calm your tits Darylina. She gave me a pretty shiner the time I asked her. I learned my lesson."

"Have you talked to her while I've been gone?"

"I see her time to time."

"Do you know why she works at a diner?"

I watched as he frowned and shift uncomfortably. "That's…that's not my story to tell."

"The hell Merle? Since when did you keep your mouth shut?"

"It's not something to just brag about as much as I would want to."

"Fine I'll go ask her myself."

I left the house and hoped on my bike as I made my way to her apartment. Four years later and I still know where it is. I parked right in front of her building and looked up at the second floor to her door. I watched as the door opened and she came out looking to her right with a huge smile on her face.

What I saw was the most shocking thing in my life and I had no idea how to wrap my mind around it.

**~Cliff hanger! You probably hate those but oh well. What do you think is Archer's secret? What do you think of this chapter? Please review! I appreciate all reviews good or bad!**


	7. Chapter 6

**~I am so so sorry about the late update. I was finishing my last week of work and I was packing my stuff to move into college and by the time I finished all the unpacking in my dorm school started and I just didn't have the time but don't worry I didn't forget about all this. I thought about you all so I hope you forgive me.~**

Archer POV

I stood out my door to wait for him. The minute I saw him I smiled and wanted nothing more to do than to hold him close.

"Mommy!" The cheerful 3 year old boy greeted.

"Hey baby!" I picked him up once he ran to me and squeezed him tight. "Did you have fun with grandpa?" He nodded. "Good. Why don't we go inside and unpack your stuff."

I put him down and he instantly ran inside our apartment. I followed with my father closely behind and he shut the door behind us.

"I hope he wasn't too much trouble." I looked at my father.

"Not at all. We had a great time traveling."

"That's good."

"How have you been?"

"Umm…I could be better."

"What's wrong?"

I looked over in the direction of Kenny's room to be sure he wasn't listening then looked back at my father. "Daryl's back." I said in a low voice.

"What?!"

"Yeah."

"Well what does he want?"

"I don't know. Everytime we try to talk it turns ugly. Last night he came to my job drunk out of his mind telling me off like it's all my fault. He sounded like an idiot."

"Always had a way with words that fella didn't he?" My dad joked lightly.

I smirked. "Compared to Merle who is always so expressive."

"Are you gonan tell him?"

"I'm not sure yet."

"He has a right to know."

"I know he does but he doesn't have a history of taking news very lightly."

"He'll man up. I promise."

"How do you know?"

"I always liked him for you. He's a good guy Archer." He patted my shoulder and then left. I stood alone for a few minutes before I went to Kenny's room to check on him.

Daryl POV

When I saw the child run up to her my heart dropped. She had a kid? Was she with someone else? Did Merle know about this?

I waited about 20 minutes. I saw her dad leaving her place and that's when I decided that I would go see her.

I walked up the flight of stairs and made my way to her door. I took a deep breathe then knocked on the door although it was harder than I intended.

A few minutes later the door opened.

"Daryl?" Archer called. "What are you doing here?"

"I came…I came to umm…" I couldn't even think of the words.

"Daryl?"

"You got knocked up?"

She stared at me with wide eyes. "You know?"

I glared at her. "You went and got knocked up? You couldn't even keep it closed?"

She glared at me. "Once again you go running your mouth."

"At least I don't go running around fucking people." After those words slipped my mouth I felt a stinging pain to my cheek.

"Don't you ever, ever talk to me like that again. Also I have only been with you." She walked back inside her apartment and slammed the door on me.

Only with me? I pondered the thought. Oh..no, no, no, no. Not me. I can't be. I banged on her door again. She willingly opened it again.

"What?" She asked. I was speechless. She rolled her eyes. "We're going to the park around 3 today. Feel free to come talk if you want to." She closed her door again and I quietly walked back to my bike. I pulled out my cellphone that I barely ever use and dialed Merle.

"Little brother, I see your phone works. Must have been glitched for four years or something." Merle laughed on the other end.

"Shut it. Tell me the truth." I told him.

"Alright, alright. I may have an addiction to drugs and beer but I can quit when I want to."

I rolled my eyes. "Is he really mine?" I asked. There was silence on the other end. "Damn it Merle! Tell me!"

"Yeah. He's yours alright."

"You knew all this time and didn't say anything?"

"Wasn't for me to tell little brother. Somethings are just too personal."

"What's his name?"

"Kenny."

I sighed. "Have you ever met him?"

"A few times."

"I might go see them later today."

"You nervous or something? Need a pep talk from Old Merle."

I rolled my eyes again. "No I think I'll be alright." I hung up before Merle could say any other sarcastic comment.

How is it that I come back into town and things keep going downhill. I rode my motorcycle to the park I assumed Archer would be going and parked it up against a curb. I got up and walked over to a bench and sat there staring into space.

I had a kid I didn't even know about. I can't be a father. There was no way that was going to happen. I missed out on the first few years of his life and he would resent me for it, just like I resented my father for all the years of abuse he had put me and my mother and Merle through.

_14 year old Daryl and 12 year old Archer_

_Once again my dad gave me another beating. It has been happening since I was 10 years old. He figured it was the appropriate age to do so because I could fight back even though I didn't want to. Merle would urge me that I needed to fight back, especially if he wasn't there to defend me. _

_I left my house and walked over to Archer's place. When she first found out about the beatings which was when she was 10. I was doing pretty well with hiding it but we would hang out so often she eventually figured it out. I had to tell her not to make a big deal about it and after much arguing she made me promise that if it ever happened to come to her place to get away from my dad and for her to take care of the injuries. _

_I walked up to her window and tapped the glass. I watched as the curtain was moved aside a little and then back to its original position. I walked to her back porch and she came out a few minutes later with a first aid kit. _

_She sat next to me and quietly got to work. She cleaned up my face and arms and put the necessary medication on it to be sure there was no infection. She didn't speak a word. She already knew by now that I was not ok and that I didn't like to be babied about my bruises. _

"_There all done." She said as she was putting stuff away. _

"_Thanks…" I said very lowly. _

"_He should be arrested Daryl." I didn't say anything. "Or you need to man up like Merle suggested and fight back."_

_I glared at her. "Who the hell are you to tell me to man up?"_

"_The person who, almost every other night, has to bandage you up!"_

"_I don't need this bullshit!"_

"_Fine Daryl. Just flipping fine. Next time don't even come over when it happens. You don't have to degrade yourself by keeping your promise. You know what, good night!" She grabbed her stuff and went back inside her house without another word._

_Stupid bitch I muttered under my breath as I went back home. I opened the window to my room to get in instead of using the front door and be noticed. _

I continued to reminisce until I heard someone clear their throat. I looked over and saw Archer standing there. Was it really 3 already? Shit. She sat next to me and I scooted away from her a little. We sat in silence for a few minutes before she spoke.

"I wanted to tell you."

I scoffed. "I bet you did."

"I really did Daryl. When I found out I was pregnant I was already about a month and a half along and I didn't hear from you. You ignored every attempt of contact and I wasn't just going to say this over the phone."

"You told Merle."

"Yeah after he got out of jail. He ended up there for 6 months after you left. He saw me and gave me a lecture and a scolding which ended him with a black eye."

"Then what?"

"I told him that it was your kid. We talked and he said that he would try to get you to come back and it didn't work so I told him to promise me that if you ever did, not to tell you, that you had to hear it from me."

"Yeah because that worked out so well."

"What did you want me to do asshole? We kept arguing and fighting. I wasn't just going to come out with it."

"Well its out in the open now. Let me guess you want some child support money?"

She scoffed. "Typical Dixon answer. I don't need your money. I did quite well for four years and I can continue on the same without it. Never once ask for a dime from anyone. I worked for my paycheck to support my son." She glared at me before she turned and kept watch for Kenny.

I sighed. "Is that why you didn't go to college?" She nodded. "So now it's my fault you couldn't have the future you wanted."

She looked over at me and when our eyes met I looked away and watched Kenny. "Daryl, you didn't ruin life or anything. I'm happy with the life I have now. Sure it wasn't the plan, but I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Does he know that I'm his dad?"

She shook her head. "No. As far as he knows, he only has a mother. I figured either you would never come back or you wouldn't want this life so you're free to do what you want."

I thought about it. "I know deep down it's the right thing to do but, I'm not father material."

"Neither was your father but that didn't stop him. Don't be afraid that you're going to end up like him, because you won't. Merle could but you won't ever be like that."

We looked up when we saw Kenny coming over and tearing up.

"What happened baby?" Archer asked.

He sniffled. "I cut my finger."

"Oh no you did?" She teased gently. I smirked as he nodded not picking up. "Mommy will fix it." I watched very closely as Archer opened her bag up and grabbed a few things. She cleaned the small wound carefully and then covered it with a band-aid. She then gave it a small kiss and ruffled his hair. "All better."

He beamed as he look at his bandages. "It doesn't hurt anymore!"

"Good! Now you can go play some more alright."

He nodded then looked at me. I was a little nervous since this was the first time that I actually got a real look at him and he looked very much like me when I was younger except he had green eyes instead of blue. "Who is this Mommy?" He asked.

"This is a friend of mine. Daryl. Daryl meet Kenny."

I grunted a hello. Kenny smiled and then ran off to play again. "He looks like me."

Archer smiled. "Yes he does."

"I want to tell him. I'm his father."

Her smile faded. "No."

"What do you mean no."

"Daryl I'm not just gonna let you tell him that you're his father. He gets easily attached and what am I going to do when you decide to leave again?"

"I'm not gonna leave. Ever again."

"Excuse me if I'm not buying that bullshit."

"You are a lot more stubborn then I remember."

"Yeah well being a mom does that to you. Prove to me that you're not just going to walk away."

"How the hell do you want me to prove that?"

"I'm sure you'll think of something." She got out of her seat and walked away to where Kenny was by the swings.

I sighed and left my seat to go back to my bike. I took one last look at them before I rode back home. I haven't been home a week and she's already making my life complicated.

**~I am still really really sorry for the late update. Its already my second week of school and I haven't found a decent amount of time to sit and work on this. Don't worry guys I'm always thinking about the story just not typing it. So forgive me because there will probably be more late updates. But please Review the story! Reviews make me happy and tell me what I am doing right or wrong with the story! Plus the more reviews I see the more motivated I'll be to get my work done to work on it!~**


	8. Chapter 7

Archer POV

It had been a week since I last spoke to Daryl. I have not seen or heard from him. He wanted to reveal himself to Kenny but I couldn't allow it. A child that age should have a father in their life but not one that was a time bomb ready to blow. If Daryl decided to leave again I didn't want Kenny to get hurt.

The usual routine of the week was to take Kenny to preschool, go to work, pick up Kenny, and go home. It was a small routine that I have become accustomed to and I love every minute of it. I loved when Friday came around because I had the weekend off and I could spend my free time with my little man.

I was baking our homemade pizza with very little sauce and a ridiculous amount of cheese but that's what I get for letting Kenny do all the prepping. I was mixing cookie dough in a bowl when I heard a knock.

"I got it!" Kenny shouted as he ran to the door.

"Check who it is before you open it!" I yelled and shook my head. That's all I need is for him opening the door to strangers.

"Mommy! It's Daryl!" He ran into the kitchen to take his seat back on the counter while Daryl slowly came in the kitchen.

"Hey Daryl." I greeted with a small smile.

"Hey." He greeted back.

"What can I help you with?" He kinda stood there, I took the hint he didn't want Kenny to listen in. "Kenny why don't you go and clean up your room and I'll call you when dinner is ready."

He nodded and left the kitchen. Daryl watched as he left then looked back at me. "Didn't even have to threaten with the arrow in the ass."

I smirked. "Nope. That's reserved for you and your brother."

He smirked back. "When was the last time you went camping?"

I had to think about it. "Umm… I haven't been camping in forever. "

"How would you feel about going tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?"

"Yeah. You, me, Kenny, and Merle."

"Gee I don't know. Kenny is still pretty young and hasn't been camping before."

"Oh come on. What's gonna happen? He has three adults around to keep an eye on him."

"I don't count Merle as an adult."

"Alright there are two of us but Merle will protect his own blood. Kenny is included in that."

I sighed. "It's up to Kenny. I won't take him into the woods if he isn't comfortable."

He raised a brow at me. "You want me to believe that our kid won't go into the woods?" He shook his head. "Ken! Come over here!"

Within a few minutes Kenny came scampering in. "Am I in trouble?"

"No baby but we want to ask you something." I told him and then nudged Daryl to speak.

"Umm…would you want to go camping tomorrow?"

"Like be outside?"

"That is the general idea of camping."

"Can we go mommy?" He looked over and me with pleading eyes.

I smile. "After dinner you shower and go to bed. We're gonna have to get up really early if you want to go.

He was practically dancing in his seat when I went to get the pizza out of the oven. I watched as Daryl was edging his way out.

"Daryl are you leaving?" Kenny asked.

"Yeah little man. I gotta get home." He replied.

I could see in Daryl's eyes that he wanted to stay and spend time with Kenny but I think he didn't want to push me. "Daryl, why don't you stay for dinner?"

Daryl POV

"Yeah! Will you stay?" Kenny begged.

I couldn't help the smile that formed on my face when I saw the look Kenny was giving me. "I guess I will."

Archer smiled at me as she started slicing the pizza up. She served Kenny first and gave him a glass of milk to drink. I served our slices while she grabbed beer for us. We sat around the table together and ate quietly.

"This pizza is good." I complimented. It wasn't bad but it was a little too much cheese for my taste.

"I made it!" Kenny smiled as he ate his slice happily.

"You did good kid."

He kept on smiling. Archer finished her slice pretty quick and then threw some cookies in the oven to bake.

"Mommy can we bring some cookies tomorrow?" Kenny asked her.

"I'm sure we can honey." Archer replied. "If you're finished eating, why don't you start packing a bag of clothes." He listened to her with no problem and threw his dishes in the sink and ran to his room.

"He's really well behaved." I commented.

"Should have seen him when he was two. He was a monster." She chuckled. "We have a good relationship. He's a good boy."

"Would him and I ever have a relationship like that?" I asked without thinking. I wouldn't openly say my feelings but with Archer it just slips.

She walked over and sat on my lap. "If you really mean well, which I know you do, anything is possible. Kenny has a big heart. Hell even has a soft spot for Merle from what I can see."

"He's going to think I'm shit. I wasn't there for the beginning of his life."

"Hey…He's not going to hate you. I don't think hate is in his vocabulary. He's pretty excited about camping tomorrow. You can show him how to use his bow and arrow."

"Does he have one?"

"He does but we haven't practiced in a while."

"I think I can handle it."

"Great." She smiled. "It's good to have you back Daryl."

"I'm glad to be back." I smirked.

We stared into each other's eyes and as if our bodies knew before our minds, we were leaning in towards each other. Right as are lips were about to touch we could hear Kenny coming back and Archer jumped off my lap before he saw.

I cleared my throat and looked up at Kenny as he held his bow and arrow. "Can I take this with us?"

"I'd be mad if you didn't." I smirked. "Do you know how to use it?"

"I forgot."

"You should convince your ma to take you out more often."

"Do you know how?"

"Yeah. When your ma and I were kids we would shoot arrows almost every day."

"Really?"

"Yeah." He pulled up the chair next to me and started telling me in detail about how he would shoot down Indians and pirates with his arrows while we ate our dessert. Archer went to pack her bag and stuff and came back in when it was time for Kenny to go to bed.

"Alright Kenny. You can tell Daryl more about your stories tomorrow. It's bed time."

"Aww…ok." He whined sadly. He got off the chair and started to walk off but he quickly came back and jumped on my lap to give me a hug. I was stunned. All I did was gently pat his back as he released me and went to get ready for bed. I waited for Archer to help him brush his teeth and then tuck him in. I moved from the kitchen and went into her living room.

"He has a crazy imagination." She said as she approached me.

"He's just like you. Always running their mouth."

She shoved me playfully. "Last time I checked you were always running your mouth at me."

"You deserved it."

"Whatever. I need to go to bed and mentally prepare myself for Merle. God only knows what he'll do in the woods."

I chuckled. "I'll try to be sure he leaves the drugs. Don't need that side of Merle around Kenny."

"I would appreciate that."

She walked me over the front door and held it open. "I'll see you in the morning?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I'll come around 6 and we'll take the truck."

"Good night Daryl." She leaned in and gently kissed my cheek.

"Night." I walked away as quickly as I could to prevent her from seeing me blush.

In the morning I came over in my truck with Merle behind me on his bike. I got out and knocked on the door. Archer answered it within a few minutes. "Hey Daryl."

"Hey. You ready?" I asked.

"Just about." She left the door open as she went to the living room to check the bags that they had. She was wearing a flannel shirt with shorts and combat boots. I couldn't help myself as I stared at her ass. That was something I think I always admired about her, she was in shape and had a great looking ass.

Kenny came running out of his room with his arrows on his back and his bow in hand. He greeted me then went outside to greet Merle.

Archer grabbed her camping bag and Kenny's and I grabbed the cooler she prepared, her tent, and her bow and arrows as well. We both walked outside and threw it all in the bed of the truck.

I looked over at Merle and Kenny messing around and it surprised me. Merle was never a kind man but I saw a different side to him as he interacted with Kenny. He would high five him and try to tickle him after he pretended he was wounded when Kenny would fake shoot him.

I looked over to Archer who was smiling at the scene and then looked at me. We both smiled at each other before Archer called Kenny to get in the truck.

Merle looked Archer up and down. "Damn hot momma. Why don't you take a ride with old Merle now? I'll let you drive and I'll cling on to you and we can…"

"Stop right there before I give you a nice black eye. Clearly you didn't learn from the first time." Archer cut him off.

"I always like a girl to play hard to get." He winked and seductively bit his lip.

Archer rolled her eyes before getting into the truck after Kenny. Merle chuckled after I punched him in the arm and told him to cool it. I went into the truck and buckled myself in.

I turned over to Kenny. "You ready to go kid?" I asked.

"Ready freddy!" He beamed.

I ruffled his hair a bit before I took off driving.

**~Hey everyone so I hope you guys are enjoying it. So I want to know what you guys would want to see them do when they go camping? Reviews are appreciated. You do not need to have an account to leave a review. I also have an idea for a sequel which will set 10 years later into the Walking Dead. So is that something people would be interested in? I won't start until I finish this story unless you guys want me to start this story and go into the other one. I want to know what you guys think~**


	9. Chapter 8

**~Thank you so much for the reviews everyone. I really appreciate them **** I do not own the Walking Dead or Daryl Dixon. I haven't said that in awhile so… There we go lol~**

Daryl POV

We drove for about an hour and a half before we got to a clear rocky area to leave the truck. I looked over at Kenny who was anxious in his seat.

"Are we here?" He asked.

"Almost. We have to grab our gear and were going to walk into the woods until we find a place to set up camp."

Kenny nodded and we all got out of the truck and went to the back to start grabbing things.

"Hey sugar, you need help lifting anything heavy? Wouldn't want you to strain yourself." Merle tried hitting on Archer again.

She rolled her eyes and grabbed a huge backpack and shoved it towards Merles chest knocking the wind out of him.

"Shit woman." He groaned.

Archer smirked. "That's not even the heaviest thing we got. Don't worry sugar, if you need me to take it I will. Wouldn't want you to strain yourself." She winked.

I smirked and nodded in approval as I secured the backpack on my back and grabbed a few other items to carry.

Archer made sure Kenny's backpack was good and gave him one of the smaller coolers before she and Merle grabbed what was left.

I led the way into the woods with Kenny closely by my side.

"Alright be sure not to trip on anything as we walk." I told him.

"How will we know if the spot is the right spot?" He asked.

"You'll know. I believe in you."

I glanced over at him as we walked and he had a determined look on his face. He would intently look at his surroundings. We walked a good 15 minutes before he started to run ahead.

"Kenny! Where are you going?" I asked.

"To the spot!" He cheered as he kept running. I ran after him before I got to his stopped body and he was grinning. "Is this a good spot?"

I looked around and it was a nice open piece of land and I can see through the trees that there was a lake very close to us. I looked down at the spilling 4 year old. "It's the spot. Nice job." I ruffled his hair as he giggled with delight.

We dropped our stuff as we waited for Archer and Merle to get to us.

"Nice spot, Daryl." Archer complimented as she dropped our stuff next to ours.

"Don't thank me. Kenny found it." I corrected her.

"I did mommy! Daryl said that he believed me and I did it!" He beamed.

Archer chuckled a little. "You might be a better camper than I am baby. Good job!" She pulled him into a hug and kissed his cheek. "So what is on our to do list?"

"We set up camp as quickly as we can then go hunting." I told her. She nodded and pulled out her tent and started to assemble it. I went with Merle as we set up our huge one.

Once the tents were set, we tossed our sleeping bags in them and the rest of our stuff and then regrouped in the middle.

"I might skip out on hunting. I'll go look for firewood and get that set up and maybe go to the lake and get some water to boil." Archer told us.

"What about Kenny?" I asked.

"He can go with you guys. He really wants to learn how to use his bows and arrows."

"You sure?"

"I trust you Daryl." She smiled at me. She walked over to Kenny and spoke to him quietly for a few minutes before he came running to me.

"Can we go now?!" He asked.

"Yeah come on." I led the way. I had my crossbow with me, he had his arrows on his back while he held the bow in his hand and Merle had his shotgun.

We walked to a section of the forest where there was plenty of trees for Kenny to have target practice. I pulled out a hunting knife and carved some targets on the different trees to give Kenny something to look at.

I turned to him and saw him standing patiently. "Were gonna practice a bit before we go do the real thing."

"Pff… I ain't gonna stick around for this. I'm going to do a real man's job." Merle spat before he walked deeper into the forest.

I rolled my eyes. "Ignore him."

"That's what momma says to do too." He replied.

I smirked. "That's good." I stood down to his level. "Alright so you're going to position your arms like this, and hold this like this." He listened very carefully to me to every direction and pointer I gave him until he was ready to shoot. "Just breathe and take the shot."

He took a few deep breathes then shot the arrow but it missed the tree. He pouted. "I did bad."

"Just try again and concentrate." I urged him. I remember Merle would snap at me for missing but I wasn't about to start that with my kid. Maybe when he's older I will but for now it wasn't necessary.

I watched as he positioned himself like I told him before and concentrated on the target. When he let the arrow go it hit the target. He smiled and looked over at me. "I did good?"

"You did good." I ruffled his hair.

I stood up and went to lean against a tree as I watched him shoot more targets and recover his arrows. Within 20 minutes I say he got 10 out of the 15 shots he took.

"You ready to shoot for real stuff?"

"Like real animals?" He asked.

"Yup. Birds, squirrels, deer, and boars."

"And we eat them?"

"It will be our dinner. I'll even show you how to gut and clean them."

"Does mommy do that?"

"Are you kidding? When your mom was younger, she took down a whole boar alone."

His eyes went wide. "Really?"

"Yup. It was incredible. This was probably twice her size." Alright im exaggerating. It was half her size but every kid loves a good story, right?

"Woah…" He said with wonder. "Can we catch one too?"

"We can try. They are sneaking animals."

"What are we waiting for?!"

I chuckled at his enthusiasm. And led him into a new part of the forest.

Archer POV

While the boys were gone hunting, a set up a fire pit and got fresh water from the lake nearby. I started to boil it while I got the cooking stuff set up when the boys come back with their kills.

I hoped that Kenny was enjoying himself. I know that when I was young I enjoyed camping and hunting especially with Daryl.

It had been a few hours and I was getting bored so I decided to go hunt as well. I went in the direction of the boys and decided to put my tracking skills to the text. I'm not as good as Daryl and Merle but I was decent enough. I followed what I thought was a trail and shot squirrels along the way. It took me about an hour but I actually caught up to Daryl and Kenny.

I stayed hidden and watched as they were hiding behind some bushes observing a deer a little ways from them. I could hear Daryl letting Kenny take the shot and giving him the encouragement to do so. I smiled at that. If it were Merle, he would have pushed Kenny aside and took the shot himself.

I got my bow and arrow ready just in case Kenny were to miss, I could take a shot and slow down the deer enough for him to take another shot.

Sure enough Kenny took thought shot but it grazed the deer and startled it. I quickly jumped out of my spot and shot it in the leg before it got away.

Daryl and Kenny turned and looked at me.

"Momma!" Kenny greeted.

"Go after your kill baby. I slowed it down for you."

He nodded quickly and ran off in the direction of the deer. Since the deer was bleeding it was easy for him to track it.

Daryl and I just walked quickly behind Kenny.

"What are you doing here?" Daryl asked.

"What I got stuff done and decided to join in on the fun." I smirked.

"Well nice job shooting the deer before it got away."

"No problem."

As we got closer to Kenny and the deer, we saw Kenny shoot it once more and actually got in in the head.

"I did it!" Kenny smiled brightly at us.

"Nice one kiddo." I gave him a hug and then grabbed our arrows. "This should feed us well this weekend."

"I agree." Daryl said as he picked the deer up by its legs and started dragging it. "Add it with our squirrels and whatever Merle caught and we are good to go."

Kenny was walking up ahead and I stayed behind with Daryl but I still kept a close eye on Kenny. "He sure seems to be enjoying himself." I commented.

"He's a Dixon. We enjoy the hunt and being outdoors, even if he doesn't know it."

I sighed. I knew Daryl wanted to tell Kenny that he was his father but i'm just not 100% ok with it yet. "He's a lot like you. He even has your sassy temperamental mouth."

Daryl raised a brow at me. "How so?"

I smiled at the memory. "When he was two, he wanted to go outside so badly. I told him no cause it was raining. He threw the biggest fit I thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head. He was saying all sorts of nonsense out of anger it was unbelievable. After about 20 minutes I gave in and let him go outside."

"I don't say nonsense."

"You say more nonsense than a drugged up Merle."

"Shut up."

I smirked and we walked in silence until we got to camp. Merle was sitting on a log gutting a squirrel and smirking to himself. I studied him closely. "What are you laughing about?"

"Nothing mom."

I raised a brow at Daryl and he shrugged. I walked over to Merle and pushed him back so he would look at me.

"Woah Darling. I know I'm an attractive beast but you need to learn to keep your hands to yourself." Merle started to chuckle.

I glared at him and stared at his eyes. His pupils were huge. "Son of a bitch…"

"What?" Daryl asked after he dropped the deer.

"Your brother is high." I raged.

"What the hell?" Daryl ran over and grabbed Merles chin to see for himself. "God damn it Merle. I thought you went hunting."

"I did. I went hunting for my bike and my stash."

I shook my head in disappointment. I should have known Merle would do something like this. It shouldn't surprise me he would still do it even if Kenny was around. I led Kenny into our tent and told him to stay before I came out to give Merle a piece of my mind.

Daryl POV

When Archer took Kenny to the tent I grabbed Merle by the shirt and pulled him off the log. "Man what the hell is wrong with you?"

"What? I like being buzzed up while I hunt." Merle said.

"There is a kid around us."

"That didn't stop our old man from doing the crap that we did."

"So that makes it ok to it? You are a piece of work Merle."

"I am aren't i?" He started chuckling again as he pushed away from my grip. "You need to lighten up brother."

I was going to say something but Archer interrupted me with her raging. "Are you out of your god damn mind?"

"Listen sugar I already got a mouth full from Daryl. Don't need your sass either. Besides you like better with your mouth shut or around my…" I watched as Archer punched him in the nose.

"You pig!"

Merle was pissed now and I got up and wiped some of the blood coming from his nose. He lunged forward for Archer but I stepped in and pushed her behind me.

"Don't even think about putting your hands on her." I warned him.

"Who the fuck are you to threaten me. She's not even your woman!"

"Don't matter. You don't think about touching her!" I yelled.

Merle got pissed and punched me in the gut. "I didn't think I would see the day that my own brother, my flesh and blood would pick a bitch over his brother. You're weak and whipped brother. " He spat then walked off into the woods.

Archer kneeled next to me and helped me sit up. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine." I groaned out.

"Thank you. You didn't have to step in but thank you."

"It was nothing."

"It was something." She leaned in and kissed my cheek.

I stared at her then to her lips then back to her face. I cleared my throat. "We should start gutting the meat."

"Right." She replied. "I'll go get Kenny."

I watched as she trailed into her tent. What was I doing? I have never in my life defended anyone against Merle. Merle doesn't take anyone's crap and I would never be stupid enough to stand in his way especially while he was on drugs. I knew Archer was capable of defending herself but I just thought back to the night with her ex and how he hit her like it was nothing. I didn't want to see that again especially if the attacker was my own blood.

But Merle was right. Archer was not my woman…but I wish she was. As much as I try to shut people out and stay strong, she is the only person in my life that has been able to break me down from that and with Kenny in the picture, he was doing just the same thing.

I didn't think I would want this life but as I spent time with Kenny just those few hours that's all I wanted to do. I wanted to be there every day for him, something my daddy never did. I wanted to be there every day for Archer because I know coming across a good woman is rare these days and I know I let her slip away once but I know now I never want to do that again.

I'm going to tell her that tonight.

**~Well what did you guys think? I am so sorry with the late update. School is really taking a lot of my time these days **** but anyway please leave a review and tell me what you think and what you want to see happen :D ~**


	10. Chapter 9

Contagious chapter 9

Daryl POV

Since we found out Merle was high we kept quiet. Archer kept Kenny away from him. Merle was unpredictable when he was on drugs. He would either challenge someone to a fight or he would open his big mouth and confess god knows what.

I didn't want Merle to confess that I was Kenny's father. As much as I want him to know, I want it coming from me.

We gutted the animals and I kept becoming more impressed with Kenny as I spent more time with him.

He didn't gag or run away when I showed him what to do. Instead he watched carefully and then would try to do exactly what I would do. He wasn't perfect but it wasn't a bad job for the first try. I could tell he knew it was sloppy work but he looked deeply in my eyes for some sort of approval.

To be honest, it shocked me. I never had someone looking at me for approval, it was usually disgust. I nodded at his work and ruffled his hair and little and he seemed content with himself afterward.

Once all the meat was gutted we started to cook. We cooked portions of the deer, some squirrel, and some canned vegetables.

When all the food was made, Archer served all of us and then sat down with her own food next to Kenny.

Kenny looked at his food curiously. "what does squirrel taste like?"

"It taste like chicken." I told him. I popped a piece of meat in my mouth and moaned how good it was.

Kenny wasn't too convinced. "I'll take a bite with you." Archer told him and he nodded. They both took a piece of meat in their hands and counted off together before they shoved the meat in their mouths.

Kenny grimaced at first but then swallowed it and giggled. "it does taste like chicken!"

Archer smiled and kept eating her food.

"This is just like old times." Merle commented.

"How?" Kenny asked.

"When we were kids, we always went camping. I the dashing Merle Dixon, your sexy as can be mother, and baby Daryl."

I glared at him while he chuckled.

"You do realize im younger than Daryl." Archer commented.

"I know but you are a fine piece of ass."

"Merle!" I yelled.

"What its true? What ole Merle wouldn't do to get to feel that tight..."

I tackled him to the ground. "shut your dirty mouth you son of a bitch."

"Did I hit a nerve little brother?"

"There is a kid here and you're running your mouth with that garbage!"

Merle huffed and pushed me off him. I looked over at Kenny and saw he coward into Archers side.

"I think its time for bed." Archer said then picked up Kenny and carried him to their tent. I sighed as they went out of view.

"Why you defending her so much?" Merle asked as he lit a cigarette.

"Why do you humiliate her like that? She isn't the strippers or druggie girls you hang out with!"

"You're right, she's better! If you won't reel her in, I sure as hell will!"

"I had enough of you!" I stormed off in the direction of Archers tent. I took a deep breathe and entered the tent.

Kenny was in his sleeping bag cuddled up against his pillow and Archer was laying behind him and whispering in his ear until he was asleep. She carefully got up and walked out of the tent with me.

"What were you doing?" I asked.

"I tell him bed time stories. It helps him sleep better at night." she replied.

"How long will he sleep?"

"The whole night usually but I don't know if it will be the same tonight since we're in the woods."

"I think he'll be okay. Wanna go for a walk?" She seemed hesitant and looked back at her tent. "We won't be gone long and Merle is here." She raised a brow at me. "I know he's a dick but he wont let anything happen."

She sighed. "Ok." We walked by Merle to let him know what's up then we made our way into the forest.

We walked about a good 20 minutes in silence before I spoke. "so...uhh...how are you?"

"I'm doing pretty well."

"Have you been doing well the last four years?"

"I knew you were going to ask that at some point. It was a struggle at first. I was pretty much on my own and had to change my plans around but it worked out in the end."

"How so?"

"I...we have a pretty amazing son."

"He's great. I didn't think I would want a kid until I met him."

"He has a way of doing that to people." She smiled.

I smiled back and we kept walking until we got to the creek.

"Do remember the time Merle got really drunk and he tried to save his reflection from drowning?" Archer asked.

I scoffed. "Who wouldn't remember that? I had to jump in and fish the idiot out."

Archer was cracking up by this point. "I remember he was playing dead hoping that I would give him CPR. I did and he shoved his throat in my mouth and I shoved him back in the water."

"Merle has a way with women."

"Clearly." she rolled her eyes and stared at the water. "wanna do something fun?"

I raised a brow at her and she gave a mischievous smile. I watched as she took all her clothes off except for her bra and panties and then jumped in.

I groaned when I got splashed.

"Come and join me! The water feels amazing!" she screamed.

"Hell no. What are you 13? Get your ass back over here!" I yelled.

"What are you old? Live a little, unless you're too pussy."

"I ain't a pussy."

"Prove it!"

I glared at her and ripped everything off down to my boxers. "When I get in there, you are a dead woman."

"oh im shaking."

I dove in but didn't resurface. I swam under water to where she was then pulled her down under the water. I waited a few seconds then let us resurface.

She glared at me. "were you trying to kill me?"

"No just making us even."

"I didn't force you to get in."

"you called me a pussy. You pretty much twisted my arm."

"oh screw you."

She pushed away from me then was floating on her back.

I sighed and just floated where I was. She eventually floated back to me.

"Why did you leave?" she asked. I didn't answer. "Daryl, please tell me."

"I'm not good enough for you. I got in my head that you would be like your mom and would want something more than a redneck prick as your boyfriend. I went out of town to prove myself."

"Did you prove yourself?"

"No. I kept ending up a square one."

"Maybe I like being at square one." she said as she was inches from me.

"I won't be able to give you everything you want. If we were together you won't get a luxury home."

"As long as there is a roof over our heads, I don't care."

"Our grocery list will be crazy budgeted."

"Squirrels and rabbits from the woods are fine by me."

"You won't get the prettiest of clothing either."

"Who would I need to impress?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around my neck and rested her forehead against mine.

I stared into her green eyes. "I'm shit, Archer."

"Then consider me Mrs. Shit cuz i ain't going anywhere. As long as you are in my life and our son's life, i am happy." she finished and then pressed her lips against mine.

I kissed back but then pushed her away. "I can't..."

"Daryl don't push me away..."

"I..."

"I choose you Daryl. It's always been you. Why can't you accept that someone cares about you?"

I couldn't resist. I pressed my lips hungrily against hers and heard her moan in delight.

"I don't deserve you..." I moaned against you.

"Yes you do..." she moaned back

My hands found there way to her ass as I held her closer to me.

"You have no idea how long I have been wanting to kiss you." I said out of breathe.

"About damn time then." she commented.

I chuckled. "Shut up."

We kissed more before we decided to get dressed and head back.

I let her lead the way while I kept a close watch at my surroundings. Before were in eye sight of the camp I stopped her.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Can we start over?" I asked. She looked at me confused. "I want to start with us and prove I'm not going anywhere then we tell Kenny."

"I would like that." she kissed me once and walked off to camp.

I smirked. I finally did something right in my life.

**~Well how was that guys? Thank you for the other reviews and keep them coming :D~**


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